Topps Archives Baseball
Archives was one of the baseball card products produced by Topps from 2001 until 2005. The retro-themed sets were primarily reproductions of previous Topps releases or retired stars on classic card designs. In 2012 brought back Archives with a renewed focus on current players. 2001 Archives The 2001 set was a very successful. It had one of the most extensive autograph insert sets ever put into a baseball card product, one that is still highly collected today. The nostaglia of the Topps Baseball card sets over the years powered the product that used the rookie cards and final Topps cards of Hall of Fame players as its foundation. Image:2001 Topps Arch S1 Hobby Box.jpg|Series 1 Hobby Box Image:2001 Topps Arch Base 158.jpg|2001 Base Card Image:2001 Topps Arch Auto 011.jpg|2001 Autograph Card 2001 Topps Archives Reserve 2002 Archives While not as successful as the previous year, 2002 was still a well received product. The autograph checklist declined while more game used inserts were included. In this set, a player's best year determined which card would be used for reprinting. 2002 Topps Archives Reserve 2003 Fan Favorites Topps shifted from a reprint based set to a different model in 2003. Instead they used previously unused photography of retired major league stars on classic card designs rather than reprinting a particular year from a player's career. Unique to this set are Don Zimmer buyback autographs and embossed cards that were also buybacks. Image:2003 Topps ATFF Base 020.JPG|2003 ATFF Base Card Image:2003 Topps ATFF Auto DSN.JPG|2003 Autograph Card Image:2003 Topps ATFF Relic KP.JPG|2003 Relic Card 2003 Shoebox Unlike the rest of the Topps Archives set, the 96-card Shoebox set was released only as factory sets in hobby shops. This was the last of the reprint Archives sets. 2004 Fan Favorites The 2004 Topps ATFF set was very similar to the 2003 offering. The insert sets were almost the same, as was the size, distribution, and structure of the set. The only major change was the lack of an embossed autograph set and no buybacks like the Zimmer set from 2003. Image:2004 Topps Fan Box.jpg|2004 Topps Fan Favorites Box Image:2004 Topps Fan Best Seat.jpg|2004 Best Seat In The House Relics Image:2004 Topps Fan Relics DS.jpg|2004 Fan Favorites Relics 2005 Fan Favorites The 2005 set expanded on the number of insert sets from 2004. Dual and Triple autograph sets were added, as well as an innovative Original Relics set that used two buyback cards formed together with a game used jersey swatch. This would be the last release of Archives/Fan Favorites for seven years as Topps streamlined their product lines in the late 00's. Image:2005 Topps Fan Box.jpg|2005 Fan Favorites Box Image:2005 Topps Fan Best Seat.jpg|2005 Best Seat in the House Image:2005 Topps FF Relics TG.jpg|2005 Fan Favorites Relics 2012 Topps Archives After a seven year hiatus, Topps reintroduced the Archives set into its normal release schedule. This time the focus was much different, primarily focusing on current players on classic card designs. The set felt more like a Topps Heritage greatest hits rather than the Archives sets of the 2000's. A couple of the more unique inserts in this set are autographs from the movie Karate Kid and 25 buybacks of the 1994 Topps Archives Hank Aaron cards that were autographed. Image:2012 Topps Archives Hobby Box.JPG|2012 Hobby Box Image:2012 Topps Archives Base 074.jpg|2012 Base Card Image:2012 Topps Archives FA AOT.jpg|2012 Autograph Image:2012 Topps Archives KK 1.JPG|Karate Kid Autograph 2013 Topps Archives The 2013 set continued in the same vein as the 2012 set with a focus on current players on classic card designs. The 1972, 1982, 1985, and 1990 sets were used for the base set. Replacing the Karate Kid insert set is a rock band autograph set and a re-imagining of the Triumvirate insert sets from Stadium Club. Image:2013 Topps Archives Hobby Box.jpg|2013 Hobby Box Image:2013 Topps Arch Base 141.jpg|2013 Base Card Image:2013 Topps Archives Heavy Metal SB.JPG|Heavy Metal Autographs Image:2013 Topps Archives Trim 6A.jpg|Triumvirate Insert Image:2013 Topps Arch Relic VM.jpg|2013 Relics 2014 Topps Archives The base set for the 2014 Archives set used the 1973, 1980, 1986, and 1989 set designs. The set expanded the number of insert sets and had an insert set focus on the movie Major League that was released 25 years before in 1989. 2015 Topps Archives The 2015 Archives set was trimmed back compared to the 2014 release. Again the base set re-used old card designs (1957, 1976, and 1983). The pop culture insert set this year was focused on Will Ferrell and his tour around MLB spring training for charity. Image:2015 Topps Archives Base 078.JPG|2015 Base Card Image:2015 Topps Archives FF Auto Silver.JPG|2015 Autograph Silver Parallel Image:2015 Topps Archives WF Base 04.JPG|Will Ferrell Insert Image:2015 Topps Archives PC Base HST.JPG|Presidential Chronicle Insert 2016 Topps Archives The 2016 Archives set was very similar to the 2015 release. This year used 1953, 1979, and 1991 for the base set design. The pop culture focus was the film Bull Durham which starred Kevin Costner as a minor league catcher. Image:2016 Topps Archives Hobby Box.jpg|2016 Hobby Box Image:2016 Topps Archives Base 157.jpg|2016 Base Card Image:2016 Topps Archives FS GG.jpg|85 Father Son Insert Image:2016 Topps Archives 85 Draft Red.jpg|85 Draft Pick Red Parallel 2016 Topps Archives Signature Series 2017 Topps Archives The 2017 release of Topps Archives was scaled down even further than the 2016 set. There were no game used relic cards and the pop culture themed inserts were all but removed except for some buyback autographed cards. The three card designed used for the base set were 1960, 1982, and 1992. Image:2017 Topps Archives Box Hobby.jpg|Hobby Box Image:2017 Topps Archives Base 273.jpg|2017 Base Card Image:2017 Topps Archives RS Auto DD.jpg|2017 Rookie Star Autograph Image:2017 Topps Archives RO 05.jpg|2017 Retro Original 2017 Topps Archives Signature Series 2018 Topps Archives Image:2018 Topps Archives Hobby Box.jpg|2018 Hobby Box 2018 Topps Archives Signature Series Category:Topps Products Category:Baseball Card Sets